German 250mm Heavy Mine Projector (old model)

German 250mm Heavy Mine Projector (old model). 250cm Schwere Minenwerfer 16 Alter/Art. , The 250mm Heavy Mine Projector was the largest of three highly mobile German trench mortars used in World War I. The German Army learned the value of these short range mortars from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. During the war, the Japanese used improvised weapons to launch demolition charges onto Russian fortifications. By 1910, German engineer troops had their first Minenwerfer. The 25cm Schwere Minenwerfer A/A was a rifled, muzzle loading, short range artillery piece designed for use in the static warfare conditions that prevailed during world war one. The mortar was emplaced in a 4ft 11in (1.5 meter) pit to conceal and protect it and the crew. The design of the 250mm Heavy Mortar was conventional with a hydro-spring recoil-recuperator system. The 4 propellant charges were in disk form and could be added or deleted for adjusting range. The propellant was ignited by a friction primer. In transport, the piece could be drawn in one piece by 4 men in bricoles for short distances, or if necessary, carried by 21 men. For longer distances it would have been transported on a wagon.,

Caliber - 9.8in. - 250 mm , Weight - 1,690 lbs. - 768 kg , Range - 585 to 1,050 yds. - 540 to 970 m , Shell Weight - 213 lbs. - 97 kg , Muzzle Velocity - 219 ft/sec. - 66 m/sec. , Elevation - 45 to 75 degrees - 800 to 1333 mils , Traverse - 24 degrees - 427 mils , Rate of Fire - 2 rpm , CCN# 127026